Safety foot-throttle for automobiles



E. J. CURRIER.

SAFETY FOOT THROTTLE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-25, 1920.

, 1,397,798. Patented Nov. 22, 1921 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR W/ T/VESSES Edam/ 21067;

. A TTORNEYS E. J. CURRIER.

SAFETY FOOT THROTTLE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG,25, 1920.

Patented Nov. 22

'2 suans-suzar 2.

WITNESSES Arromvsrs UNITED STATES EARL J. CURRIEB, OF OTTUMWA, IOWA.

SAFETY FOOT-THROTTLE FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters E atent.

Patented Nov. 22,1921.

Application filed August 25, 1920. Serial No. 405,878.

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL J. CURRIER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Qttumwa, in the county of Wapello and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Foot- Throttles for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to throttles and more particularly to foot throttles, my object being the provision of a convenient, safe and effective arrangement controlling the supply of gas to the intake of a motor, and one which may be applied with ease and facility.

In the present embodiment of my inven-' tion as applied to a Ford automobile, certain other objects and advantages result including the adaptability of the foot control to the opening of the throttle beyond the point at which the hand lever may be set, and the automatic return to the hand set position whenever the foot control is released.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the present exemplification of the invention and which form a. part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a sectional side view illustrating the practical application of my 1nvention Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the foot controlled parts removed, 7

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 38 of Fi 1,

*ig. 4 is a top plan view illustrating the motor attachments,

Fig. 5 is an elevation looking forwardly at certain of the connections,

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of the adjustable rod coupling, g I

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the foot throttle rod actuating fork, and

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the movable foot controlled parts to be hereinafter specifically referred to.

In these drawings and in Figs. 1 and 4t I have shown certain parts of a Ford automobile in which 10 represents the foot board, 11 the motor, 12 one of the numerous head bolts, 13 the bolts of the water connection i l, and 15 the hand throttle rod having the usual angular lower arm 16 connected to the carbureter (not shown) by virtue of a rod passing between certain of the cylinders of the motor.

a depending portion 25 L-shaped coupling, whose horizontal arm 21 (see Fig. 6) has an aperture 22 receiving one angular end 23 of a rod 24 which extends to the carbureter. This L coupling has apertured as at 26 and rigidly secured thereby upon the lower forward end 27 of the foot throttle control rod 28 which, as seen in Figs. 1 and i, e2:- tends downwardlyand forwardly at the rear portion of the motor, through the lower rear portion of an angular bracket 29 securely held in place by one of the bolts 13 of the water connection 14. A spring 80 surrounds the lower portion of this rod, one end of which spring is secured to the rod'and the other end of which is secured to the bracket 29 so that the coupling member is normally held with its upright arm 20 in engagement with the terminal enlargement or ball 31 of rod 17 and the hand throttle thus controls and determines the point to which the foot control parts are automatically returned when pressure is released therefrom, it being understood that the actuation of the foot control parts by the operator serves to rotate the rod 28 against the tension of spring 30.

The upper rear end of rod 28 is journaled through the apertured lower portion of an angular bracket 32 secured in place upon the upper rear portion of the motor 11 by one of the motor head bolts 12, and rearwardly of this bracket rod 28 has an annular offset extension 33 disposed between the bifurcated portions 34 of an actuating-fork 35. This fork is secured upon the outer end of a lengthwise shiftable bar 36, movable through the apertured depending flanges 37 of a bracket 38 which may be attached by screws or other fasteners to the lower surface of the foot board 10 so that by virtue of the particular manner of transmitting movement from bar 36 to the end 33 of the control rod 28 it is obvious the foot board 10 may be freely raised and withdrawn when desired.

Bar 86 has a pivotal connection at a point intermediate its ends with the bent partially embracing portions 89 of an angular connecting rod 40, which portions 39 are apertured as at 41 and particularly shown in Fig. 8 to receive the pivot. The opposite end of this connecting rod 40 is pivotally connected at 42, see Fig. 2, to one end of a horizontally swinging arm 43 connected by a spring 44 to a portion of the bracket 38, which spring serves to normally holdthe lengthwise shiftable bar 36 in its outer position. The oppoe site end of the horizontally swinging arm 43 is securely fastened to the lower end of a stud shaft 45 journaled vertically in portions of the bracket 38 and whose upper end is arranged to extend through an opening provided in'the foot board 10 for its reception, and is secured above the foot board to one end of a horizontally swinging foot lever: 46.

Looking forwardly in the machine to which the invention is attachedin practice, the foot lever 46 swings to the right closely adjacent to the upper surface of the foot board 10 and in this way practically proof against accidental actuation, a disadvantage to which the ordinary depressible foot throttle is subject in the actuation of the other foot controls or in careless pressure of the foot downwardly against the foot board.

In operation when the foot lever 46 is pressed to the right, the lengthwise movable bar 36 is shifted inwardly, or in the same directiomand thefoot throttle control rod 28 is rotatedagainst the tension of spring 30 to swing the coupling member between the carbureter rod sections 17 and 24 inthe di rection of the arrow in Fig. 4, moving its up right arm 20 away from the inner headed end of the rod section 17 This action serves to increase the gas supply from the carbureter the same as if the hand control rod 15 were rotated for this purpose and, as before stated itis obvious thatwhen the foot control lever 46 is released, the springs 30 and 44 coact to return the foot control parts to their normal position limited however by the set position of the hand control parts in view of the engagement of the upright arm 20 of the coupling with the enlarged inner end of the rod section 17.

It is thus obvious that in addition to the bracket, a shaft whose lower portion is point determined by the set position of the hand controlled parts. My improved construction may, it is further obvious, be readily installed in that it is necessary but to bore a single opening through the foot board, brackets 29 and 32 being attachable by bolts already present on the car. I claim:

1. A foot throttle control including a bracket attachable to the lower surface of a foot board, a lengthwise movable member having a depending fork, journaled in journaled in the bracket at right angles thereto andwhose upper end projects vertitically through the foot board, a foot lever shiftable horizontally on the upper surface 7 of the foot board and attached. at one end to said shaft, a horizontally swinging arm attached to the shaft beneath the foot board, a controlling spring therefor, and a connecting rod joining the arm with the said lengthwise shiftable member; 1

2. A foot control including a spring con- 'ing acrank at itsrear end, a bracket attachable to the foot board or car, a movable member supported by the bracket and havtrolled foot rod mounted to rotate and hav- 7 ing a fork straddling the crank of the said 7 control rod, a shaft journaled vertically in the bracket with its upper :end extending through the foot board, a foot lever attached to the upper end of the shaft to swing par allel with the foot board upon its upper surface, and operative connections between the lower end. of the said shaft and the said movable fork carrying member as described.

3. The combination with a hand controlled throttle rod having an angular arm and a rod section extending from the arm, a second rod section, a coupling member of angular form to a portion of which the sec ond rod section is connected and through another portion of which the first rod sec tion loosely extends and has a headed end, and a foot control rod having supports in which it is rotatable and connected at one 7 end to said coupling member, and foot control means cperatively connected to the op posite end of said foot rod. ,7

4. The combination with a hand controlled throttle rod having an angular arm anda rod section extending from the arm, a second rod section, a coupling member of angular form to a portion of which the'sec- 0nd rod section is connected and through another portion'of which the first rod section loosely extends and has a headed end, and a foot control rod having supports in which it is rotatable and connected at one end to said coupling member, spaced angular bracketsthrough which said rod is journaled, a crank carried by the opposite end of the rod, and foot control means including a fork detachably engaging the said crank and a horizontally movable lever operatively conneoted to said fork.

5. The combination with a hand control throttle rod, and throttle actuating rod se"- tions leading from said throttle rod, of a coupling member of angular form connected to and extending between said rod sections and moving relatively to one of the sections in one direction, and a foot control including a horizontally shiftable foot lever operatively connected to said coupling member for actuating the latter.

6. The combination with a hand control throttle rod, and throttle actuating rod sections leading from said throttle rod, of a coupling member of angular form connected to and extending between said rod sections and movable relatively to one of the sections in one direction, and a foot control including a rotatable foot control rod having a controlling spring and having connection at one end to said coupling member, means forming a permanent support for said foot control rod, and movable means detachably associated with the opposite end of said foot control rod, including a horizontally shiftable foot lever.

EARL J. OURRIER. 

